What’s your favorite museum in the US?

46 comments

  1. Natural History. It’s huge, and while I am more interested in other areas of academia, the shear amount of exhibits alone makes it better than any other. You could spend a day there alone if you really wanted to.

  2. Chicago Institute of Art.

    A reminder, Redcoats, the *USS Constitution* is not a museum ship. It is in active service in the US Navy.

  3. Probably one of the Smithsonians.

    I’ll probably go check out the National Memorial for Peace and Justice this weekend.

  5. The Smithsonian National Musuem of Natural History in Washington DC. They have just about everything that makes me inner child squeal with excitement; dinosaur bones, mummies, insects, geodes…it’s just wonderful.

    Honorable Mentions go to…

    * The Smithsonian National Musuem of American History in Washington DC
    * The Telfair Academy in Savannah, Georgia
    * Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Musuem in Charleston, South Carolina
    * The National Naval Aviation Musuem in Pensacola, Florida
    * The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC

  6. Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, including the Udvar-Hazy Center Annex. The Udvar-Hazy Center hosts a Gemini capsule, the Enola Gay, an SR-71, a Concorde, and Space Shuttle Discovery. Plus a lot more.

    Then the USS Midway Museum

  9. Btw, I’m American. I’m just wondering what others’ experience of museums is like. Also, many new museums have popped up in the past 30 years, but not everybody knows about them yet. If there are any newer noteworthy museums we just have to see, feel free to throw them in.

  10. How can anyone pick just one?

    Even if narrowed down to categories (natural history, art, science) and subcategories (ie modern art) – I don’t think I could pick my favorites. Obvious choices would be Smithsonians. I couldn’t even pick a favorite *local* museum – Getty, the Broad, Museum of Jurassic Technology (that’s a weird one), Norton Simon, Academy Museum of Motion pictures, Science Center. Those are some of my *local* favorites, since I know the Smithsonians will be well represented in this thread. I hope to see some other local favorites mentioned too, and some weird ones!

  11. I have fond memories of MoMA in NYC. I saw Marina Abramovic do “The Artist is Present” there and got yelled at by a security guard because I tried to take a photo.

  12. The MET in NYC is my favorite museum in the world. The Smithsonian (as a collection of many museums) is the best. But you could spend literally days in the MET and not see everything. It’s so so cool

  14. Wow. So many.

    I’d say right now the MOMA.

    Or the National Portrait Gallery in DC.

    The Chicago Institute of Art is amazing too.

    And I’m going to be a complete homer and mention the Barber Motorsports Museum, a veritable Guggenheim of motorcycles and racecars. An unbelievable collection. https://www.barbermuseum.org/

    Screw it. Now I need to start planning another trip.

  15. There’s a National Museum of Funeral History here in Houston that’s pretty cool. Not my favorite museum of all time but an interesting niche nonetheless.

  17. It’s tough to call it my “favorite” due to the subject matter, but the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC has had the biggest impact on me.

    I recommend going first thing in the morning because it’s less crowded, and then you have the rest of the day to decompress from the experience.

    Alternatively the museum I enjoy the most is the National Gallery of Art in DC.

  18. Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston. It’s super unique and has a very interesting history

  19. I’ll throw out the Museum of Death in New Orleans as an interesting one that likely won’t get mentioned.

  21. I think the Los Angeles Museum of Natural history is severely underrated due to its location (hard to compete with Hollywood). It shares a spot with Rancho La Brea as my favorite place in the city.

    The dinosaur and gem and mineral halls are some of the best in the country, and the various animal dioramas, urban nature lab and displays on the history of Los Angeles and Mayan/Aztec archeology are extremely well made.

  23. I sort of collect them. I love love love Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

    It is the most unique and best American Museum- about America.

    It has it all.

    I also love Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.

  24. My favorite museum in NYC is the Museum of the City of New York. My favorite sciencey museum is probably the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, just because I have happy memories from my youth. My favorite museum in my region right now is the High Desert Museum outside of Bend OR. Favorite art museum is probably the Art Institute in Chicago. I can’t choose just one favorite museum. I can’t even choose my favorite among the Smithsonian museums.

  25. I love the Tenement Museum in New York, and if you’re not from this country it would be a really amazing way to learn about all the different experiences in being ‘American.’ It’s an old tenement building with each floor a historical reproduction of a different immigrant era.

  26. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation near Detroit and The Cleveland Museum of Art.

  27. I’m not really a museum person but when I was young I LOVED the Chicago museum of science and industry. I hope it is as exciting as I remember it (from 20+ years ago).

  28. Really hard to say.

    If I was forced to pick it would be

    The Indianapolis Childrens Museum

    Mass MoCA

    The Field Museum

    The Art Institute

    Dia Beacon

    Air and Space in DC (haven’t been to Udvar Hazy)

    The MCA in Chicago

    Or

    The Museum of Science and Industy in Chicago

    I love museums though so I have a hard time choosing.

  30. A lot of coastal/Chicago representation in here (and justifiably so – lots of great museums in those places), so I’ll advocate for some inland options:

    * The National World War I Museum in Kansas City is phenomenal. I think it’s one of the more overlooked parts of our nation’s history, but it really was a kickoff to the waning power of Europe and the growing power of the United States. The museum does a fabulous job of telling the story.
    * I’ve not been to this one, but my wife has and she raves about it to everybody: The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. She says going there is one of the most humbling experiences she’s had.

  34. Not my favorites but I’ll shout out a few good ones

    Museum of food and drink in Brooklyn – comes with a multi course food tasting

    Mutter museum in Philly – medical oddities museum

    Chihuly museum in Seattle – glass blown art

    Motown museum in Detroit

    Native american museum in dc

    Civil rights museum in Atlanta

  38. I like the natural history museum in Lawrence Kansas I have a lot of fond memories of field trips there

  40. Leaving aside some of the greats (The Met in NYC wins for me period) my favorite is the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. Everything gangster, with some super unique exhibits.

  41. Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium in Springfield Mo. it is massive and just so full of interesting things. It cost us $60 each and I thought it couldn’t be worth it but by the time we got out of there it was 6 hours later. Very worth it.

    It’s owned by the Bass Pro Shop guy.

    [https://wondersofwildlife.org/](https://wondersofwildlife.org/)

  42. I really like the Air and Space Museum.

    Around my area I really like the museum of the american revolution its fairly new and I really like it.

    Also the Battleship New Jersey is also a great museum (and not just because I interned there)

  44. National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque NM (formerly “The Atomic Museum” great in depth look at nuclear weapons and development of them in NM. The “new ” 2009 facility is super nice and the airpark is awesome. With this one being local to me I have been going to it since the 1980s when it was at the old location on Kirtland AFB.

    My favorite that I have NOT been to is the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton OH, it is the largest aviation museum in the world

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